The present invention relates to a net, and more particularly to an improvement in net construction wherein the members of the net are constructed from a material which lends itself to interconnection with like members to create a highly stable lattice which constitutes the net structure.
Conventional net construction involves rope or cordage which is connected at nodes to create a lattice of intersecting members constituting the matrix structure of the net. In such conventional net constructions, the application for use as climbing nets is problematic in that the intersection of vertically and horizontally disposed lengths of cordage are not connected such that when a force is applied to a horizontal cordage length, the resulting downward force is directed along vertical lines of action. Instead, such a downwardly-applied force is distributed both vertically and laterally through the net, thereby making the net an unstable structure for the purpose of, for example, supporting an individual. Also, where a net is to be used for climbing, it is desirable to construct a net from a material which is nonabrasive to the touch of the human hand. This is important in the application of the net where it is used for amusement purposes for children. In such cases, it is desirable to have a material which will not cause abrasions when, for example, gripped or rubbed by a child. Moreover, even where nonabrasive materials are used in net construction, such as, multifilament polypropylene or propylene ethylene copolymer, the nets are not without problems. Specifically, with using such material, the ends of the lengths of cordage nevertheless need to be heated in order to melt the plastic and prevent unraveling of the multifilaments. These heated end portions tend to be sharp and leave hard knobs and defeat the nonabrasive character of the overall netting, in that the heated ends of hardened plastic material have the tendency to scrap or scratch an individual.
Nets made from conventional plastic material monofilaments present even worse problems than those discussed above. Such monofilaments are also problematic in that when exposed to ultraviolet light, these elements often become brittle, and severe causing barb-like projections to extend transversely from the cordage. Needless to say, such barb-like projections are undesirable, especially in the context where the intended use of the net is for climbing or personnel usage. Also, in the context of using a net in a recreational sense for children, it is often times desirable to make playing with the net more applicable by using cordage of different colors. Thus, it is desirable to use a netting material which is colorfast, and that will not permit the coloring pigment to be imparted onto a user when gripped or rubbed against. The need to provide netting which is differently colored also has its basis in industrial applications as well. For example, it is possible that netting used for safety and cargo load purposes requires color-coding in the event that it is used in a specific on-site application. Also, material which is used to construct conventional nets does not readily lend itself to being used with other materials which supplement and enhance the strength of the component members which make up the net.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a net construction which is capable of being readily assembled in lattice form and is assembled from a material which is nonabrasive and is constructed so as to not cause a user to be cut or scratched by using it.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a net lattice of the type wherein the lattice is constructed of lengths of cord which create laterally stable matrix structure.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a net lattice of the type which is formed from material which is colorfast and is resistant to ultraviolet radiation.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide net lattice constructed from a type of material which is capable of being readily used with another material to supplement the strength of the members constituting the net structure.